1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to a passive body stretching and exercise device and more particularly to an actuator-driven machine which can be used for whole body stretching and strengthening, particularly of the arms, legs and back to improve or maintain physical fitness and agility and/or aid in the physical rehabilitation of the user.
2. Description of Related Art
It is desirable in maintaining physical fitness and agility to ensure proper range of motion for various muscle groups and body segments. This becomes important not only for increasing strength and fitness in an exercise program, but also for physical rehabilitation or maintenance, particularly in older adults. As people age, it is known that physical mobility tends to decrease, sometimes to the point that movements become impaired and restricted. Stretching of muscles, ligaments, tendons and other body parts becomes essential for maintaining agility and full range of motion in such individuals, and thereby increases mobility and use of specific body parts. Similarly, in an exercise program to develop increased strength and body conditioning, it is important as an aspect of the program to properly stretch various muscle groups and the like to avoid injury during exercising. Although stretching is usually performed by standing or sitting on the floor and manually conducting stretching exercises, it would be desirable to have an apparatus which can aid in providing proper stretching and or facilitate stretching exercises for older or injured persons.
Exercise devices which rely on a driving means other than the individual for bringing about the desired motions are referred to generally as "passive" exercisers. Passive exercise equipment is many times designed for the rehabilitation specific areas of the body, and are used by handicapped or injured persons, including patients recovering from strokes or head injuries. Increased blood circulation, muscle tone and range of motion are recognized benefits of a rehabilitation program which incorporates a form of passive exercise. By simulating the operation of muscles and joints, passive exercise compels a patient to perform an exercise correctly without the constant supervision of a physical therapist.
Further, passive exercise devices have found application to the rehabilitation of joints especially those of the shoulder. One significant feature of shoulder therapy is the "continuous" nature of the motion around the joint required for proper rehabilitation. Passive motion devices allow the shoulder to follow its natural range of motion while minimizing stresses on the joint and muscles. Passive motion devices designed to combine shoulder rotation with other arm or torso motions are also known.
Passive motion devices, such as spinal therapy tables are also known which are capable of positioning a patient's spine for therapy through the motor-driven raising and lowering of segments of a therapy table. Again, these devices operate on a specific portion of the body and are designed to ensure proper movement of a specific muscle group through passive movement.
Currently available passive motion exercise and stretching devices do not adequately allow the user to make the combination of stretching and strengthening motions. Most existing devices are designed to isolate body parts for specific therapeutic motions. Known devices do not adequately combine stretching and strengthening for a number of major body parts simultaneously and typically are not easy and effectively used by all varieties of users for stretching and/or exercise. An apparatus which provides complete body strengthening and stretching and allows the user to make a comfortable combination of motions is needed and is currently unavailable.